


live

by Idestroyedtheworldoops



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 00:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6590089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idestroyedtheworldoops/pseuds/Idestroyedtheworldoops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bianca di Angelo reminisces her immortal life<br/>(while stargazing with her gf)</p>
            </blockquote>





	live

The stars were beautiful that night.

The hunters of Artemis were up in the forests of northern Europe, hundreds of miles from any cities, or any light pollution.

They had made camp in a clearing for the night, and when Zoë had decided to sleep outside her tent, Bianca had followed her. So there they lied together, in the same sleeping bag, looking up at the sky.

“It’s nice to actually see the milky way. It’s all so much brighter out here.” Bianca said quietly.

Zoë nodded. “I missed the wilds. We have been close to mortal society for too long.”

They faded back into silence, but the silence between them was comfortable.

“Do you miss your sisters?” Bianca said suddenly.

Zoë looked at her, surprised. 

After a moment, she answered.

“Sometimes. Sometimes I will think of how Erytheia would laugh, or how Arethusa would try to scare the rest of us with stories when we were young.”

Bianca was looking at Zoë too, now. “Do you ever wish you could be with them again?”

Zoë hesitated, pursing her lips. “Sometimes. But I never regret the choices I have made."  

Bianca looked back up at the sky. She had been thinking about her own brother, lately. His last words to her, the last time she saw him… Even more, she’d been thinking about Westover academy, the year they’d spent going to school together before Bianca joined the hunters. Her mortal life.

She had visited her brother often, in the beginning, but of course they didn’t see one another as much as they would if Bianca wasn’t a hunter. 

She didn’t think he disliked her decision, not after the first few months, but she had started having second thoughts herself. Especially after he became an adult. 

She missed so much of his life. An older sister didn’t miss her brother’s 18th birthday, and half his others, too! 

He had assured her that she shouldn’t feel bad, that she deserved to have her own life. He had become so mature over the years. How had she missed that?

There was a way to opt out of the Hunters. She had considered it a few times, but always decided against it. She loved Artemis, she loved hunts and having feasts and going on adventures all over the world. Being honest, there was one reason that rose above the others.

Bianca had been awestruck by Zoë Nightshade ever since that first night at Westover. She joined the hunters on a (very gay) impulse, and she spent the first few weeks following Zoë around like a personal assistant. She brushed her hair, carried her things, the works. 

A while after they came home from the quest for Artemis, Bianca started to get more comfortable as a hunter. She befriended the other girls, and started doing things independently. She stopped carrying Zoë’s stuff for her.

As the years went by, Bianca became more of a hunter, and less of a mortal girl. She didn’t think that was a bad thing.

Bianca and Zoë became very close. They would talk about their shared quest, their experiences joining the hunt. Sometimes just the stars, or the weather. Zoë felt like an equal now, and a friend. No matter what mortal life had to offer, it would never be worth leaving Zoë.

Zoë comforted her when her brother passed away. He’d lived longer than most demigods, into old age, even. Against all odds. 

She remembered saying her goodbyes to her little brother. An old man, then, but still her little brother. There were others there, his husband, his friends, their half-sister. Most of them were crying, even though he told them not too. Bianca stood out in the group of adults. She looked like she could be his granddaughter.

She was tempted to go down to the Underworld, after his soul passed. She didn’t. 

He had been ready to say goodbye, even if she wasn’t. She wouldn’t disturb his rest.

She was still crying when she returned to the hunters. Artemis excused her from activities the next day. And again, in the next couple of weeks, for his funeral. It wasn’t uncommon for new (or comparatively new) hunters to mourn their loved ones. They gave her time.

 

But time went on. The other hunters told her stories about their old lives, their mothers and brothers and friends. Eventually, Bianca got back into the routine of the hunt. Years went by, decades, centuries.

_You deserve to have your own life._

Bianca thought less and less of the mortal world. She became more and more invested in the hunt. The others began saying she might begin to rival Zoë for the position of lieutenant. She laughed at that.

Not too many years ago, they had been sitting in a similar forest, on a sunny morning.

"I had a crush on you.” Bianca had said, casually, as they watched water flow over rocks in a stream. “When I first joined the hunt.”

Zoë had smiled. “I know.”

“You knew?” Bianca smiled too.

“I did.”

They’d watched the water for another moment.

“Not anymore?” Zoë asked.

Bianca had raised an eyebrow, and looked over at Zoë. 

Zoë had looked back at her. 

There had been an unspoken knowledge between them. This, mentioning it, had been a long time coming.

Bianca leaned in and kissed Zoë’s lips. Zoë kissed her back. They’d stayed like that for a while, happy with just the sun, the forest, the stream, and each other.

 

 

Bianca stared at the stars. She would never forget her mortal life. She would never forget the friends and family she’d known, nearly 600 years ago. She didn’t need to forget.

She agreed with Zoë. As much as she missed her brother, if she could go back and undo her decision to join the hunters, she wouldn’t. She had new friends, new loved ones. Even if she still sometimes questioned herself in the dead of night, she would never go back. 

This was her life, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Art thou alright, Bianca?” Zoë asked, looking concerned.

Bianca smiled, and lightly kissed Zoë on the lips. “I’m fine. Sorry to worry you.”

She took Zoë’s hand, and they both relaxed. “We should sleep. We don’t want to be dragging behind everyone tomorrow.”

Zoë smiled back, and closed her eyes. “Goodnight, Bianca.”

Bianca closed hers too. “Goodnight, Zoë.”


End file.
